Grooming a cairn terrier

[KSL]

I have an eight month old cairn terrier puppy. Every time I try to groom her she reacts by nipping, whining, and trying to get away (even though she's on a leash). Any tips?

[jodi0553]

KSL,

My four year old cairn HATES most aspects of grooming, so I have experience dealing with this. First of all, you should be handling the dog as much as you can even while not grooming. When it comes to nail clipping, we have worked hard to desensitize him by just randomly grabbing a paw and repeating "my paw" over and over until he submits. It has helped tremendously. Another huge help is a grooming table with noose, however, I do warn you that a very determined cairn can still put up quite a fight (he can do a 360 while the noose is on). I can pretty much groom him solo without getting bit on a table, but that's not to say he still doesn't give it a try every now and then. It is a bit of an investment, but I've spent less than $200 on grooming supplies including the table and have more than recouped the costs over a short time since I don't ever pay a pro. Also, for tough jobs like belly trimming or nail clipping, sometimes a second person to help restrain is useful. The first time my cairn was ever groomed he snarled and bit like a feral animal! Four years later...I groomed him today holding him in my lap and only required a second set of hands for nail clipping. The most important thing I have found is to be firm and disallow the snarling behavior and to quickly do the tasks they hate. I have also found that ending the session on your terms and then giving a coveted treat is useful. If you give up when she has a tantrum, she'll quickly associate the tantrum with getting her way. My cairn really loves to have his neck combed, so I usually try to end a grooming session with that so that he is calm and passive when I let go.

Hope that helps!

[Tracy A.]

Tip #1 buy a grooming table.

Tip #2 groom in short sessions with lots of praise and treats

Tip #3 move your hands quickly!

[sanford]

"(he can do a 360 while the noose is on)"

I've seen some approaches to this problem:

1. If you look online under dog grooming supplies, you'll find something called a "double loop dog grooming noose" or "double loop dog grooming harness". One loop goes around the dog's head, the other loop goes under the rear legs. (Have to admit, I hated seeing my dog trussed up this way. It gave me the creeps to see him so helpless, but maybe that's just me!).

2. You can put a coffee can on its side and roll it under the hind legs. This seems to work for most sizes of Cairns. It keeps their rear legs off the table, supports their bellys and keeps them from jumping around too much. (Have to admit, with my cairn, the coffee can kept ending up on the floor!).

3. I've also been told that the surface of the grooming table is usually textured to give the dog traction. If you cover the table with something smooth & rigid, (like a sheet of plastic?), the dog won't be able to struggle as much. (I'm not too sure about this one...Never tried it myself).

[jimnconnie]

Our dogs have a tendency to try to sit down while I'm attempting to groom their rear ends, so I invested in a second grooming arm & loop a long time ago. The loop doesn't have to be tight or uncomfortable, it's just there to keep them from sitting down. Of course it also keeps them from spinning in circles, which can really slow down the whole grooming task! As for using a smooth, rigid surface for them to stand on (sheet of plastic?), I'm afraid that would make their footing too slippery, and you want them to be as comfortable as possible.

Jim

[bradl]

Not sure what axis Currey turns his 360 on - Echo's is longitudinal, like a rotisserie A rear loop would only help I love the coffee can idea and keep meaning to try it.

[Idaho Cairns]

Ok, you guys have me chuckling this afternoon thinking about you wrestling with little Cairns determined to have their way on a grooming table!

Quite the image for me because I have been thru it myself. I have come to the conclusion that I will restrict my grooming routine to regular brushing and minor trimming of the ears and tails to keep a "normal" appearance to my dogs--they are happy and I am happy.

I still think we should examine why we spend so much time and energy on extensive grooming of our Cairns when the dog is so naturally attractive as is. For me, just taking the dead hair out with a good comb or brush seems adequate for their needs and my peace of mind.

I also wonder if the current show Cairn grooming "look" isn't driving our desire to constantly pick at these wonderful little dogs. Guess the best thing to say is that at least we don't own poodles and have to make perfect little puff balls--imagine how tough that is!

[sanford]

I basically agree with Idaho Cairns. It's the natural, un-manicured look that I've always liked about Cairns. If I had wanted a topiary, I would have planted one! I'm also not overly fond of the way many dog-show Cairns look when they've been very closely trimmed.

On the other hand there a number of Cairns at my local dog run with completely grown-out coats, feathery tails and ears. You can hardly tell there's a Cairn in there beneath the Yak-look and I wonder what their owners must see when they look at their dogs...not a Cairn...that's for sure! (But importantly, these dogs are loved and well looked after!).

One thing I enjoy about this site is that most of the photos show wonderful-looking Cairns, many of whom are on the shaggy side. Shaggy Cairns Rule!!!

[Tracy A.]

I'm a coffee can kind of gal myself Coffee Can

[jodi0553]

Currey does his 360 on a skew axis - usually about 45 degrees to vertical! It is quite impressive when he goes! He's mellowed A LOT recently. I think he finally realizes that if he sits still it goes faster. HA! I win!

Would love to try the coffee can but don't drink the kind of coffee that comes in a can, Portland spoiled us for good coffee for all time. We pay through the nose to ship to NY what is regular grocery store coffee at our old neighborhood Haggen's!

[2crazycairns]

Ya know....I started brushing Gus day one and he was really pretty good about it. But his patience went out the window as his coat started coming in and got longer. Any little snarl in his coat and it pulls just enough to set him to snapping at me and the brush both! (even though I'm being as careful as I possibly can) It has gotten a little better lately as he sits on my lap and I keep telling him what a good boy he is, how pretty he is and give him special treats for being a good boy when we're done. At just a year, I figure it will get better with time. We're actually taking him in for a groom tomorrow (his first) to trim his ears just a bit and the mange around his neck. Other than that, we love his Andy Rooney eyebrows, fluffy tail and wispy legs.

As for his nails, *heavy sigh* we HAVE to go to the groomers to have them trimmed because he has to be noosed and muzzled. The poor little guy tore off the first claw on each paw within two weeks of each other and now has a fit when anyone touches his paws. I work on him a bit each day as he sits on my lap just touching them to get him used to the sensation of GOOD touch but it will take quite a while to work through this one.

We, too, like the shaggy Cairn look. We call it "au naturelle"!